Bob Woodward's new book draws from hundreds of interviews with key administration figures, their deputies and other firsthand sources. In addition, the book is based on extensive documentation, including internal memos, letters, chronologies and meeting notes. It will focus on national security, especially the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the fight against terrorism. Woodward has structured the book to answer the questions: How does Obama govern? How and why does he decide? And how does he balance the numerous pressures of the modern presidency?

Obama has learned that he is not commander-in-chief of the economy, and many of his high-profile reforms - such as health care, education and energy - have been turned over to Congress. But the president has realized he has almost total authority as commander-in-chief. Woodward thinks of the book as conceptually titled, The Crucible: Obama at War.

Filled with intimate details and verbatim accounts that come from meticulous reporting, this is an unprecedented look at a young president in the 21st Century.